In the United States (US), Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy and Dem-Con HZI BioEnergy, LLC (DCHZI) have reached a final agreement on a feedstock supply contract for a proposed regional anaerobic digestion (AD) facility.
According to a statement, this unique public-private partnership (PPP) offers an environmentally sustainable solution for managing food scraps and organic wastes while generating carbon-negative renewable energy and combating climate change.
If approved by Scott County, this project will be the first of its kind in the country.
Solid partnership
Dem-Con HZI Bioenergy represents a partnership between two companies to build and operate this new facility.
Dem-Con Companies, LLC is a third-generation family business, with decades of expertise in managing waste and recycling facilities throughout Minnesota.
Dem-Con partnered with Kanadevia Inova (formerly known as Hitachi Zosen Inova), a global technology provider with over 100 digesters operating in North America and Europe.
The proposed anaerobic digestion facility would be located in Louisville Township in Scott County and is designed to process up to 75,000 tonnes of organic waste each year.
Food scraps collected from the twin cities metropolitan area, including through Ramsey and Washington counties’ Food Scraps Pickup Program, would be processed at the facility.
Biomethane and biochar
The anaerobic digestion process creates two products: biogas and digestate. The biogas will go through a biogas upgrader to produce biomethane, aka renewable natural gas (RNG), and the digestate would go through a gasification process to make biochar.
The facility would create RNG for utility companies to utilize in their systems as a renewable energy source for homes, businesses, industries, and vehicles, and biochar that can be used for remediation projects, filtration, or as a soil amendment to retain moisture and nutrients.
The process of making biochar and the use of biochar in remediation has also shown promise in reducing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – the “forever chemical” – a class of toxic chemicals that are notoriously difficult to manage.
Dem-Con, along with our project partners Kanadevia Inova, is excited to be one step closer to bringing an innovative and sustainable solution to manage food waste and organics in Minnesota, helping to meet our state’s sustainability and recycling goals, said Bill Keegan, President of Dem-Con Companies.
Aligned with regional goals
This proposed facility would be a vital part of the region’s efforts to reduce waste and combat climate change. Food scraps make up more than 20 percent of residential trash in Ramsey and Washington counties, and this facility would help keep this material out of landfills and incinerators.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan requires curbside organics collection to be offered in all metro area cities with a population over 5,000 by 2030.
This is a momentous step toward reimagining how we manage waste in the region. This project is integral in helping us reduce waste and fight climate change, said Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, who serves as vice-chair on the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board.
Critical support secured
The project has received critical financial support as a sub-recipient of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session grant from the Renewable Development Account, and an award from the Minnesota State Competitiveness Fund.
The project is currently going through the local permitting phase with Scott County and Louisville Township.
Once permitting is completed, the facility will take two years to construct, after which it would begin producing RNG and biochar.
